334 research outputs found
Trapped ions in Rydberg-dressed atomic gases
We theoretically study trapped ions that are immersed in an ultracold gas of
Rydberg-dressed atoms. By off-resonant coupling on a dipole-forbidden
transition, the adiabatic atom-ion potential can be made repulsive. We study
the energy exchange between the atoms and a single trapped ion and find that
Langevin collisions are inhibited in the ultracold regime for these repulsive
interactions. Therefore, the proposed system avoids recently observed ion
heating in hybrid atom-ion systems caused by coupling to the ion's radio
frequency trapping field and retains ultracold temperatures even in the
presence of excess micromotion.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures including appendice
Prospects of reaching the quantum regime in Li-Yb mixtures
We perform numerical simulations of trapped Yb ions that are
buffer gas cooled by a cold cloud of Li atoms. This species combination has
been suggested to be the most promising for reaching the quantum regime of
interacting atoms and ions in a Paul trap. Treating the atoms and ions
classically, we compute that the collision energy indeed reaches below the
quantum limit for a perfect linear Paul trap. We analyze the effect of
imperfections in the ion trap that cause excess micromotion. We find that the
suppression of excess micromotion required to reach the quantum limit should be
within experimental reach. Indeed, although the requirements are strong, they
are not excessive and lie within reported values in the literature. We analyze
the detection and suppression of excess micromotion in our experimental setup.
Using the obtained experimental parameters in our simulation, we calculate
collision energies that are a factor 2-11 larger than the quantum limit,
indicating that improvements in micromotion detection and compensation are
needed there. We also analyze the buffer-gas cooling of linear and
two-dimensional ion crystals. We find that the energy stored in the eigenmodes
of ion motion may reach 10-100 K after buffer-gas cooling under realistic
experimental circumstances. Interestingly, not all eigenmodes are buffer-gas
cooled to the same energy. Our results show that with modest improvements of
our experiment, studying atom-ion mixtures in the quantum regime is in reach,
allowing for buffer-gas cooling of the trapped ion quantum platform and to
study the occurrence of atom-ion Feshbach resonances.Comment: 39 pages, 22 figure
On the hierarchical classification of G Protein-Coupled Receptors
Motivation: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play an important role in many physiological systems by transducing an extracellular signal into an intracellular response. Over 50% of all marketed drugs are targeted towards a GPCR. There is considerable interest in developing an algorithm that could effectively predict the function of a GPCR from its primary sequence. Such an algorithm is useful not only in identifying novel GPCR sequences but in characterizing the interrelationships between known GPCRs.
Results: An alignment-free approach to GPCR classification has been developed using techniques drawn from data mining and proteochemometrics. A dataset of over 8000 sequences was constructed to train the algorithm. This represents one of the largest GPCR datasets currently available. A predictive algorithm was developed based upon the simplest reasonable numerical representation of the protein's physicochemical properties. A selective top-down approach was developed, which used a hierarchical classifier to assign sequences to subdivisions within the GPCR hierarchy. The predictive performance of the algorithm was assessed against several standard data mining classifiers and further validated against Support Vector Machine-based GPCR prediction servers. The selective top-down approach achieves significantly higher accuracy than standard data mining methods in almost all cases
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"The dearest of our possessions": applying Floridi's information privacy concept in models of information behavior and information literacy
This conceptual paper argues for the value of an approach to privacy in the digital information environment informed by Luciano Floridi's philosophy of information and information ethics. This approach involves achieving informational privacy, through the features of anonymity and obscurity, through an optimal balance of ontological frictions. This approach may be used to modify models for information behavior and for information literacy, giving them a fuller and more effective coverage of privacy issues in the infosphere. For information behavior, the Information Seeking and Communication Model, and the Information Grounds conception, are most appropriate for this purpose. For information literacy, the metaliteracy model, using a modification a privacy literacy framework, is most suitable
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Probability and consequences of a rapid boron dilution sequence in a PWR
The reactor restart scenario is one of several beyond-design-basis events in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) which can lead to rapid boron dilution in the core. This in turn can lead to a power excursion and the potential for fuel damage. A probabilistic analysis had been done for this event for a European PWR. The estimated core damage frequency was found to be high partially because of a high frequency for a LOOP and assumptions regarding operator actions. As a result, a program of analysis and experiment was initiated and corrective actions were taken. A system was installed so that the suction of the charging pumps would switch to the highly borated refueling water storage tank (RWST) when there was a trip of the RCPs. This was felt to reduce the estimated core damage frequency to an acceptable level. In the US, this original study prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue an information notice to follow work being done in this area and to initiate studies such as the work at BNL reported herein. In order to see if the core damage frequency might be as high in US plants, a probabilistic assessment of this scenario was done for three plants. Two important conservative assumptions in this analysis were that (1) the mixing of the injectant was insignificant and (2) fuel damage occurs when the slug passes through the core. In order to study the first assumption, analysis was carried out for two of the plants using a mixing model. The second assumption was studied by calculating the neutronic response of the core to a slug of deborated water for one of the plants. All three types of analyses are summarized below. More information is available in the original report
The role of primary healthcare professionals in oral cancer prevention and detection
AIM: To investigate current knowledge, examination habits and preventive practices of primary healthcare professionals in Scotland, with respect to oral cancer, and to determine any relevant training needs. SETTING: Primary care. METHOD: Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 357 general medical practitioners (GMPs) and 331 dental practitioners throughout Scotland. Additionally, focus group research and interviews were conducted amongst primary healthcare team members. RESULTS: Whilst 58% of dental respondents reported examining regularly for signs of oral cancer, GMPs examined patients' mouths usually in response to a complaint of soreness. The majority of GMPs (85%) and dentists (63%) indicated that they felt less than confident in detecting oral cancer, with over 70% of GMPs identifying lack of training as an important barrier. Many practitioners were unclear concerning the relative importance of the presence of potentially malignant lesions in the oral cavity. A high proportion of the GMPs indicated that they should have a major role to play in oral cancer detection (66%) but many felt strongly that this should be primarily the remit of the dental team. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a need for continuing education programmes for primary care practitioners in oral cancer-related activities. This should aim to improve diagnostic skills and seek to increase practitioners' participation in preventive activities
A Multicriteria Analysis on the Strategies to Open Taiwan's Mobile Virtual Network Operators Services
[[abstract]]This study investigates the trends followed by MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) in the last three years and analyzes the strategies that can contribute to the success of Taiwan's telecommunications industry and marketing. We apply the method and concept of PATTERN (Planning Assistance Through Technical Evaluation of Relevance Number) to establish relevant systems for searching out the key successful factors of strategies to attract MVNOs. We also use the fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method for analyzing the different preference of a decision group in the criteria weights and for ranking the alternatives in a fuzzy environment in order to provide a strategy scheme. These results provide a reference to assist telecommunications operators, 3G license owners, potential MVNOs, and equipment manufacturers when working out business plans.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙
PD-1 checkpoint inhibition enhances the antilymphoma activity of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells that retain their ability to prevent alloreactivity.
Relapse and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are the main causes of death after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Preclinical murine models and clinical data suggest that invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells prevent acute and chronic GVHD. In addition, iNKT cells are crucial for efficient immune responses against malignancies and contribute to reduced relapse rates after transplantation. Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) redirect effector cells to cell surface antigens and enhance killing of target cells. With this study, we aimed to combine enhanced cytotoxicity of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells against lymphoma cells with their tolerogenic properties.
iNKT cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and transduced with an anti-CD19-CAR retrovirus. After in vitro expansion, the functionality of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells was assessed by flow cytometry, image stream analysis and multiplex analysis in single-stimulation or repeated-stimulation assays. Moreover, the immunoregulatory properties of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells were analyzed in apoptosis assays and in mixed lymphocyte reactions. The effect of checkpoint inhibition through nivolumab was analyzed in these settings.
In this study, we could show that the cytotoxicity of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells was mediated either through engagement of their CAR or their invariant T-cell receptor, which may circumvent loss of response through antigen escape. However, encounter of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells with their target induced a phenotype of exhaustion. Consequently, checkpoint inhibition increased cytokine release, cytotoxicity and survival of CD19-CAR-iNKT cells. Additionally, they showed robust suppression of alloreactive immune responses.
In this work, we demonstrate that CAR-iNKT cells are a powerful cytotherapeutic option to prevent or treat relapse while potentially reducing the risk of GVHD after allogeneic HCT
The influence of residual gas expulsion on the evolution of the Galactic globular cluster system and the origin of the Population II halo
We present new results on the evolution of the mass function of the globular
cluster system of the Milky Way, taking the effect of residual gas expulsion
into account. We assume that gas embedded star clusters start with a power-law
mass function with slope \beta=2. The dissolution of the clusters is then
studied under the combined influence of residual gas expulsion driven by energy
feedback from massive stars, stellar mass-loss, two-body relaxation and an
external tidal field. The influence of residual gas expulsion is studied by
applying results from a large grid of N-body simulations computed by Baumgardt
& Kroupa (2007).
In our model, star clusters with masses less than 10^5 M_sun lose their
residual gas on timescales much shorter than their crossing time and residual
gas expulsion is the main dissolution mechanism for star clusters, destroying
about 95% of all clusters within a few 10s of Myr. We find that in this case
the final mass function of globular clusters is established mainly by the gas
expulsion and therefore nearly independent of the strength of the external
tidal field, and that a power-law mass function for the gas embedded star
clusters is turned into a present-day log-normal one.
Another consequence of residual gas expulsion and the associated strong
infant mortality of star clusters is that the Galactic halo stars come from
dissolved star clusters. Since field halo stars would come mainly from
low-mass, short-lived clusters, our model provides an explanation for the
observed abundance variations of light elements among globular cluster stars
and the absence of such variations among the halo field stars.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, MNRAS accepte
Methods of a national colorectal cancer cohort study: the PIPER Project
A national study looking at bowel cancer in New Zealand has previously been completed (the PIPER Project). The study included 5,610 patients and collected medical information about how each person was found to have bowel cancer and the treatment they received. This paper reports how the study was carried out. The information collected in the study will be used to look at the quality of care being provided to New Zealand patients with bowel cancer, and to find out if differences in care occur based on where people live, their ethnicity and their socioeconomic status
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